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Kilcawley Center poised for $10M makeover
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Photo by Robert K. Yosay
Youngstown State University’s Kilcawley Center's current southern entrance.
The center has become a patchwork of functions with a maze of circulation patterns.
By Harold Gwin
YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown State University is looking at a $10 million renovation of its Kilcawley Center.
YSU’s student center is still “stuck in the 1970s,” according to a review by Burt Hill, the architectural firm used as a consultant on the project.
This would be part of the “phase two” funding that the university will borrow next year as it continues to finance a number of campus improvement projects, said Scott Schulick, chairman of the YSU Board of Trustees.
Jack Fahey, YSU executive director of student services, presented a preliminary Kilcawley Center renovation plan at a recent trustees’ Academic and Student Affairs Committee meeting. That plan proposes expanding the building, revamping and expanding its entrances to include atriums, expanding the Chestnut Room (a large, open meeting room on the first floor) and basically opening up the first floor of the two-story structure, he said.
It will take about a year to develop a final plan, he said.
Students say Kilcawley no longer meets their needs. It doesn’t seem like a student center, and it’s not a student destination, Fahey said.
The current facility was built in three phases, with the initial construction in the 1960s and additions made in 1974 and 1980.
Student space in the building has experienced significant loss since 1980 as other programs have moved into the building, Fahey said.
YSU’s student center no longer compares favorably with its competitors on other college campuses, he said.
Burt Hill pointed out that student centers have become a major drawing card to prospective students, and they usually offer a host of amenities, becoming the social hub of the university.
Kilcawley, though well-maintained, is a patchwork of functions with a maze of circulation patterns that have evolved over time. There is no clear path from one point to another and little segregation of conference and student functions, according to the consultant.
Fahey said there are some critical needs to be addressed, namely quality spaces for students such as computer labs, places for study groups to meet, lounges, social and dining. There also is a need for programming spaces.
The preliminary plan proposes reorganizing space around north-south and east-west axes to make it easier to navigate through the building with similar functions grouped together.
YSU needs a facility that helps it compete for new students, one that is modern, attractive and visitor-friendly and offers some “wow” spaces, Fahey added.
That need might be questioned in light of record enrollment growth this year, but the Kilcawley project is looking at the long term.
A high-quality student center is part of the mix Youngstown State University needs to continue to attract students, said Hunter Morrison, director of campus planning and community partnerships.
A tentative construction timetable shows work beginning on the center in July 2010 with the job completed in June 2012.
Funding would come from a $20 million loan the trustees plan to take out in early 2010 that also will help finance the WATTS Center indoor athletic facility, pay for the demolition of the M2 parking deck on Lincoln Avenue and its replacement with a surface lot, and pay for planning for a new College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics building.
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Comments
I thought they just fixed it up and I think it is fine in my eyes.
"YSU needs a facility that helps it compete for new students......and offers some 'wow' spaces." What a sad commentary on the mindset of potential students - and the quality of education being offered. When did universities stop being about preparing the mind - and become half baked imitations of shopping malls?
It's neither fair nor accurate to suggest that by directing some attention to campus aesthetics YSU officials are somehow neglecting academics.
Kilcawley Center was initially built in the 1960s for the same reason it is being renovated today -- to be a centralized gathering spot for students where they can eat, study, meet with friends, etc. Just as every competitive university has a rec center, state-of-the-art computer labs, attractive on-campus housing, and a variety of intramural sports and student organizations, a university is well-served by a functional and attractive student center. Universities are not just a place where students go for class, but where they work, eat, socialize and spend upwards of 50 hours or more a week. For several thousand students, it's where they live.
And considering YSU boasts award-winning and internationally-recognized programs, Rhodes Scholars, Ivy educated professors, and continually growing list of degrees, I don't think it is ignoring its primary function.
Well put, city_dweller.
"YSU’s student center is still “stuck in the 1970s,” according to a review by Burt Hill, the architectural firm used as a consultant on the project."
What else would they say ? The architectural firm needs the work . The $20 million loan that the trustees plan to take out will be reflected in tuition hikes .
Point taken, Stan. The reality is that you don't need to be an architect to make the determination that the building is outdated; the firm is merely reinforcing that fact. It was outdated and consisted of a maze of hallways when I was enrolled over 10 years ago.
If YSU thinks Kilcawley is bad, wow. Just look at some of class room spaces and study areas, it just spells 1960-1970's, outdated and looks horrible. Sometimes im surprized how things are not fixed or look as they do.
Speaking about tearing down m-2 deck whats going to happen to the rest of the parking spots? The 'temporary' deck has been there since 1980's. Last i checked ysu was a commuter school that supported commuters.... Currently parking needs out wiegh whats currently there. Tearing down the deck and not replacing the deck causes choas for commuters. A nice new deck is needed, one where i dont have to worry about concrete falling down...
Why does YSU even bother...nobody wants to go there anyway.
Nobody except the 14,000 students who registered this fall.
Well, let me put it this way: YSU is no self-respecting prospective student's "first choice." It's a concession at best, a repository at worst.
This is primarily why Youngstown is viewed the way it is. We have a terrible self-image. Is YSU on part with Pitt or OSU? No, but it can and should be a nice small to medium sized state school. The residents of the Mahoning Valley, however, see it as "terrible" "not good enough" and of course "Y.S. Useless." All of these comments, I am sure, come from parents and students who have never taken classes at YSU.
Hey oldstown, it's people like you that need to move away from here so that Youngstown can get better. You bring the city and the college down because of your ignorance. I wanted to go to YSU my whole life, because guess what...I get the same degree here that I would get at Ohio State or anywhere else. You don't know how happy some students are to get the chance to go to college, and you bring everyone down. You are a very ignorant person, I would suggest moving far away because no one wants you here anyway. Maybe move to a city that accepts ignorance.
Bring back the pool hall and the bar that used to be there. Then you might start seeing people go back.
Oldstown, by the way, YSU was my first choice. I turned down two private colleges to go here, and I still stand by that decision. After graduating, I went to the top 10 ranked business program at Ohio State for a Masters, so yes, YSU students can do well if they work hard and go to class.
I am seriously insulted by that remark. I am proud to have gone to YSU. Maybe if more people were proud about their local university this county would be a lot better off.